Social Sciences

Pigment sampling at a claviform rock art figure in Tebellín, Spain.

ArtsJuly 2, 2026

Ancient cave paintings can harbor human DNA for millennia, scientists find

The breakthrough could reveal previously hidden ancient human activity inside caves, acting as ‘genetic archives’

Tom Metcalfe

ArchaeologyJune 19, 2026

Ancient human ancestors may have first used fire 1.79 million years ago

A new method that detects whether bones have been burned reveals Homo erectus brought fires into caves far earlier than previous evidence had suggested

Sahas Mehra

The Young American Scientists Issue—Read Now

Reconstruction of summer solstice celebrations as they might have appeared at Bulford, England, 5,000 years ago.

ArchaeologyJune 18, 2026

Ancient worshipers gathered at a ‘prototype’ Stonehenge to celebrate the solstices, new analysis reveals

These ruins, located just five kilometers from Stonehenge, likely laid the groundwork for religious rites celebrating the longest and shortest days of the year

Adam Kovac

Line drawing diagram of a woman wearing a late 1800s outfit demonstrating the invention of an umbrella supporter with the use of rods and elastic straps. Image from Scientific American archive, Vol. 35, No. 3; July 15, 1876.

HistoryJune 16, 2026

July/August 2026: Science history from 50, 100 and 150 years ago

Natural fission reactor uncovered; geometry of soap bubbles

Jeanna Bryner

Image of Scientific American's March 2026 cover featuring Life in the Age of AI against a blue background.

CultureJune 16, 2026

Readers respond to the March 2026 issue

Letters to the editors for the March 2026 issue of Scientific American

Aaron Shattuck

Conceptual art illustrating the state of American science. A large hand removes bricks from a Jenga-style tower supporting individuals and a microscope.

Social SciencesJune 16, 2026

U.S. science is in chaos

How did we get here?

Adam Rogers

Games illustration with a green background

LanguageJune 16, 2026

Science crossword: Looking to the future

Play this crossword inspired by the July/August 2026 issue of Scientific American

Aimee Lucido

A starfield hangs in front of an illustration of a black cat with shining eyes illustrated by Masha Foya.

ArtsJune 16, 2026

Poem: ‘The Soliloquy of Schrödinger’s Cat’

A meditation on life and the von Neumann–Wigner interpretation of quantum mechanics

Pippa Storey

Cover of the July/August issue of Scientific American, featuring a colorful collage of people around the branding of The Young American Scientists, against an orange background.

CultureJune 16, 2026

Science’s rising stars

There are bright futures ahead for our first-ever Young American Scientist honorees

David M. Ewalt

Four book covers floating in space, including Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet, Contact and The Dispossessed

Book RecommendationsJune 12, 2026

The alien stories Scientific American editors keep coming back to

The 24 alien books the Scientific American staff love, from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to Contact and beyond

Brianne Kane

Fossilized ancient human footprints in rock in Tanzania

ArchaeologyJune 4, 2026

The oldest hominin footprints ever found are at risk of destruction, researchers warn

A new investigation alleges that official organizations in Tanzania have imperiled the country's artifacts and remains at four critical human heritage sites they were supposed to protect

Claire Cameron

A panel in a cave in Wales 2024 (left). A D-Stretch filtered photograph of the panel in 2024 (right).

ArchaeologyJune 1, 2026

For 100 years, scientists thought these red markings were natural—now researchers say they’re ancient human art

A new analysis of red lines inside a cave in Wales suggests they were made deliberately by ancient humans some 17,000 years ago

Adam Kovac